Hospital Wing
Author's note: After that VERY VERY VERY short last chapter, I am going to give you a long one. Btw, the chapter before and this one roll in together. Both are set in the middle of the night. Also, in this chapter something happens which would definitely NOT be possible in real life. Let's just assume for now that someone can faint by holding their wrist very tightly!
Protection, she had said. Why on earth did she think he needed protection? And a necklace for that too? How was a necklace supposed to protect him?
Malfoy glanced at it, now sitting on the side table. Wear it before you go to bed, she had said. So someone might try and attack me in the hospital wing at night? questioned Malfoy to himself sarcastically.
He turned around in his bed, frustrated and wide awake.
Today had not been a good day, especially following his humiliation in front of Granger. He feared what he must have looked like, who he must have resembled.
Was he going to end up like his father as well? A failure?
Just as he tried to rid himself of these dark thoughts, distant voices started to echo through the hospital wing, the source seemingly behind the entrance door. He could just about catch what they were saying.
"Did you see her face!" whispered one with humor.
"I know!" said the other, laughing lightly. "So much fun! Finally I can understand why Harry couldn't stop using it all the time!"
At that moment the door at the entrance of the wing opened. Malfoy visibly stiffened while muttering silently. Go away. Please, just go away.
"Have a look around, I'm sure it's in here somewhere," whispered a girl's voice.
"I'm not so sure," said a slightly more melodious and quieter voice with doubt.
Granger, thought Malfoy.
"I'll wait outside and make sure nobody comes in," said the other, who Malfoy worked out to be Ginny Weaslebee. Clearly she hadn't realized that he was still here. She wouldn't have otherwise let her precious friend be in the same room as him.
The door thudded shut. Malfoy then proceeded to hear Granger's light footsteps walking across the room. What was she looking for?
Suddenly, they came to an abrupt stop. Malfoy opened one eye and realized, though the room was pitch black except for the moonlight which was streaming through the windows, that a book was lying on his side table. Of course. Earlier that day when Potty and his friends had taken him her, Granger had in the process forgotten her book. He hadn't been bothered to tell her. So typical - she can't even wait till morning to get one lousy book.
He soon realized that she was standing right in front of his bed, probably contemplating on whether to take the damn thing or not. Silly girl. However after a moment of meaningless evaluation, she finally decided to take it, or she must have done, because he suddenly found himself staring at her crouching figure picking up the book. Malfoy shifted very slightly under his blanket.
She froze at the sound of the subtle rustling, her brown hair dangling at the side of her face, her eyes wide with fear. She turned her head, and seeing Malfoy staring at her with raised eyebrows, was about to gasp when he jerkily reached out and grasped her shoulder, the other covering her mouth.
For a short moment Malfoy felt her chest rise and fall rapidly, her warm breath tingling against his palm, but he kept his eyes on hers.
And then, as if scorched by hot metal, he roughly let her go. Why had he done that?
Granger quickly straightened up, taking the book with her before turning to walk away as quickly as possible. As this was happened though, something clicked inside Malfoy's mind. It was not long before Granger had come in and when his mother had left...
"Wait!" he said hoarsely, getting up and following her towards the door. She continued to ignore him and walk.
"Wait I said!" he said again with more command, grabbing her by the wrist. She turned around and observed Malfoy with a frown.
"What?" she asked in annoyance.
"Where was my mother going?" he asked steadily, refusing to let go of her hand.
"I don't know," she said sourly, before turning and attempting to pull her wrist away.
"Answer me!" ordered Malfoy, pulling her back.
"Only if you tell me what was going on in the Hogwarts Express today," said Granger, her tone cold.
"Yes, very likely!" said Malfoy sarcastically. "You'll probably go around gossiping about it later to your narrow-minded friends!"
"Guess you'll never know where your mother was going then, will you?" said Granger slowly, as if talking to a child.
Malfoy tightened his grip slowly while maintaining contact with the girl who had chosen to pick on him at a wrong time. He wasn't in a particularly happy mood.
"Don't mock me," he said threateningly, a sort of tone which warned of danger, something Hermione was unfamiliar with. She was really making him pissed off.
"Oh, as if you have the right to do so and not me. What is it Malfoy? Don't I have the authority?" questioned Granger with sarcasm, staring, unfazed, directly at him.
"Shut up you Mud-" started Malfoy, losing his temper, but he managed to stop himself. Granger continued to stare at him with her annoying brown eyes.
"Same old, same old." she said, her lips in a thin line. "I guess habits, especially those of a deatheater, don't break so easily. Going to end up like your silly father-"
"Stop it!" blurted out Draco, gritting his teeth. He couldn't bare to look at her anymore. She was acting like... Acting like...himself.
"Don't you think I get enough of this already?" he spoke finally with a pained expression on his face, refusing to look at her. "Those weren't Gryffindors or Hufflepuffs or Ravenclaws on the train attacking me Granger. They were Slytherins. Happy now?" he stammered in a bitter tone, looking up, expecting mockery. However the sight before his eyes made him blink twice.
She was crying. For a moment he almost thought they were tears of pity.
"Malfoy!" she said faintly, "Let go!"
Gazing down slowly at her now very pale hand, he realized that he had been holding on to it for a while. And hard. He looked back at Granger, a little surprised and scared of what he had done. Had he stopped her blood circulation? Was that even possible by holding someone's wrist? He frowned. He let go.
"By the way, your mother was going to see Dumbledore." she said faintly, before her eyes rolled and she started to fall backwards.
Fortunately, Malfoy caught her just before she hit the stone floor.
I guess she's humiliated herself in front of me now, thought Malfoy. He sighed, and looked her face, now serene and expressionless. In a rare and strange moment of observation, he found himself silently thinking that her hair reflected rather nicely in the moonlight.
"And what exactly is going on here?" spoke Ginny with fury slowly from behind. Malfoy's heart sank. Shit.
